Rotary engine.



Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

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ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. a, 1911 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Cc.,wl\sHlNa'roN, D.c.

G. A. PARKER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION mum AUG. 5, 1911.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

GEORGE A. PARKER, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. PARKER, a citizen of the United States,resident of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have made a certain new and useful Invention in RotaryEngines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the invention, taken on theline 11, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a similar view, taken on the l1 ne 2-2,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side View of the mvention. Figs. 4 and 5 are deta1linside face views of the parts of theslott-ed port1on of the shaft. Fig.6 is a detail slde vlew of these parts, in position to be moved intoengagement with each other. Flg. 1s a detail perspective View of the arcstrlp. Flg. 8 is a detail side view of the bell crank lever. Fig. 9 is adetail perspective view of the slide.

The invention relates to rotary engines, having for its object toprovide a slmp le and powerful engine adapted for use in pumping and forother purposes.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations ofparts, as hereinafter set forth.

In. the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, the numeral 1des1gnates the engine cylinder, having a chamber 2,and 3 is. the engineshaft, journaled 1n theheads of said cylinder and having rectangularangularly disposed radial passages or slots 4, 4 opening into saldchamber and intersecting each other.

5, 5 are slidable bar pistons worklng in said passages and having each acentral cut away portion or recess 6, w1th1n which fi ts the centralreduced portion 7 of the opposite piston in a lap-joint manner,therecesses of the pistons being longer than the wldth of the pistons, andthe length of each piston being equal to the combined dlameter of theslotted portion of the shaft and the width of the space 8 between saidslotted port1on of the shaft and the inner concave superfices of thecylinder chamber, whereby each piston is allowed a slidable movement inits slot, which will withdraw one end port1on Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 5, 1911.

Patented Jan. 2,1912. Serial No. 642,537.

thereof within the passage 4 and project the opposite end thereof fromthe opposite end of said passage across the space 8, which constitutesthe expansion chamber of the cylinder, this protruded portion of thepiston forming the abutment against which the expanding gases of theignited charge act to rotate the engine shaft. Or steam may be used asthe motive power.

Fitting and secured within the chamber of the cylinder is an arc strip9, which terminates at one end at the margin of the gas inlet 10 of thecylinder and at its opposite end 11, which is of cam-beveled character,near the margin of the gas outlet 12 of the cylinder. This arc strip hasan inner concave surface 9, which is in contact with the slotted portionof the shaft.

The sliding pistons are arranged preferably at right angles to eachother as shown, and an explosive gaseous mixture being admitted to thecylinder chamber and ignited by means not shown, or steam beingadmitted, the expanding gases or steam will act against the protrudedend portion of the sliding piston next adjacent to said inlet and forcethe shaft around about one-quarter of a turn, when the protruded endportion of the other piston will pass the gas inlet and, a new charge ofsteam or gas being admitted, the engine shaft will be forced aroundanother quarter turn, by which time the protruded end portion of thefirst piston will have passed the gas outlet to discharge the exhaustedgases or steam, and, a little afterward, into engagement with the camend portion of the arc strip, whereby this protruded portion will beforced within the passage 4 and the opposite end of the piston forcedoutward from the opposite side of the shaft into position for the nextcharge of gases to act thereupon, the operation or rotation of the shaftbeing in this way continuous. The slotted portion of the shaft withinwhich work the pistons is preferably of larger diameter than the shaftproper, as shown, and turns neatly in recesses 15 and 16 of the cylinderheads, said recesses being of less diameter than that of the chamber 2of the cylinder.

It is preferred to form the slotted enlarged portionof the shaft in twoparts 17 and 18, in one part 17 of which the passages or slots 4, 4 areformed, with theexception of the passage walls at one side and theintersecting corners, said part 17 having in the sector-shaped portions19 thereof recesses 20, arranged in alined couples at right angles toeach other and within which fit the lugs 21 of the opposite part 18.This part 18 closes the passages 4, 4 at one side, the other walls ofsaid passages being located in the part 17 as stated. Connecting screws21 for the two parts 17 and 18 are engaged with perforations 22 of thelugs 21. Inthis way, the sliding bar pistons may be conveniently engagedwith their slots or passages in the engine shaft when the parts areassembled. Stuffing boxes for the engine shaft are shown at 23.

The gas inlet opening 10 is provided with a valve 24 having a taperedhead 25 and a stem 26 of less diameter than and engaging the aperture 27of a casing 28. This casing is provided at its outer end with a roller28, the tapered marginal inner end portion 29 of the casing forming thevalve seat against which fits said head to close said aperture. The headof the valve is normally in position against said seat with the valveaperture of the casing closed. A coiled spring 30 surrounds the valvestem, bearing at one end against a cross bar 32 threaded upon the outerend portion of the valve stem, said cross bar extending at each side andhaving movement at its ends in slots 33 of the casing. A gas inletchamber 34 is provided in the cylinder, said chamber havingcommunication with the slots 33 of the valve casing and being closed atthe outside preferably by a screw cover 35. A coiled spring 36 surroundsthe outer portion of the valve casing and bears at one end against saidcover and at its opposite end against a shoulder 37 of the casing, saidspring acting to move the valve casing outward to open the-valve. Inorder to thrust the valve casing inward to close the valve again a slide37 is provided, said slide having at one side a projection 38 having acam approach 39. Upon movement of the slide the roller of the valve caserides up on the cam approach and comes to rest upon said projection, tomove the casing inward and close the valve, the spring 36 being at thesame time put under tension. Upon the reverse movement of the slide theroller will ride down from the projection 38, the valve casing will moveoutward under the influence of its spring, and the cross bar 32 willtake a bearing upon the outer wall of the gas inlet chamber, and uponfurther outward movement of the valve casing the valve will open. Themovement of the slide is accomplished by means of a bell crank lever 40,one arm 41 of which is pivoted to the slide at 42 in a slot 43, and theother arm 44 of which is pivoted at 45 to one end of a link pivotalconnection 47 with one end of 1a lever 48, fulcrumedintermediatelyofci'its length at 49, the opposite end of said levercarrying a roller 50 which bears upon a cam wheel 51 mounted preferablyupon the engine shaft.

As the engine shaft and cam wheel .thereupon are rotated the roller 50will fall in depressions 52 of the cam wheel, under the influence of acoiled spring 53 upon the lever fulcrum, and ride up on the cam sides 54of said depressions upon raised portions 55 of said wheel to put thecoiled spring 53 under tension, there being four depressions and fourraised portions arranged alternately upon said wheel, whereby the leverwill be actuated four times for each rotation of the engine shaft tothrust'the valve casing inward, and open the valve four times for eachengine shaft rotation. The actuation of the valve casing is timed totake place when each sliding piston has passed the inlet opening 10approximately as shown for one end portion of one of the sliding pistonsin Fig. 1 of the drawings. The valve casing may be thrust inward to openthe valve one or more times for each rotation of the engine shaft,according to the number of raised portions and depressions furnishedupon the cam wheel and the number of sliding pistons used.

j The engine may be built with one or more sets of sliding pistons andexpansion chambers upon the same shaft, with the pistons arranged atdifferent angles, whereby a power impulse may be given the shaft for asmany degrees in the circle of rotation as found desirable.

-My invention is of simple nature, capable of economical manufacture andcomposed of few parts easily assembled, and will be found to give goodresults for the power expended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rotary engine, having in combination a cylinder provided with anexpansion chamber, a rotary shaft having intersecting angularly relateddiametric slots adapted for registration with said chamber, slidingdiametric pistons working in and of greater length than said slots,means for operating said pistons in'the rotation of said shaft, a gaschamber, a passage connecting the same with said expansion chamber, ahollow reciprocatory casing in said passage, said casing havingcommunication with the gas and expansion chambers, a valve normallyclosing the communication of said casing'with said expansion chamber,means for retracting said casing and thrusting the same forwvard aplurality of tlmes for each rotation of the engine shaft, and means foropening said valve upon the retractlon of said casing; v 2. A rotaryengine, havingninfcombiilav tion a cylinder provided with an expansionchamber, a rotary shaft having intersecting angularly related diametricslots adapted for registration with said chamber, sliding diametricpistons working in and of greater length than said slots, means foroperating said pistons in the rotation of said shaft, a gas chamber, apassage connecting the same with said expansion chamber, a hollowreciprocatory casing in said passage, said casing having communicationwith the gas and expansion chambers, a valve normally closing thecommunication of said casing with said expansion chamber, means forretracting said casing and thrusting the same forward a plurality oftimes for each rotation of the engine shaft, including a cam wheelhaving alternate projections and recesses and a lever having alternateengagement with said recesses and projections, and

means for opening said valve upon the retraction of said casing.

3. A rotary engine, having in combination a cylinder provided with anexpansion chamber, a rotary shaft having intersecting angularly relateddiametric slots adapted for registration with said chamber, slidingdiametric pistons working in and of greater length than said slots,means for operating said pistons in the rotation of said shaft, a gaschamber, a passage connecting the same with said expansion chamber, ahollow reciprocatory casing in said passage, said casing havingcommunication with the gas and expansion chambers, a valve normallyclosing the communication of said casing with said expansion chamber, areciprocatory slide having a projection, a bell crank lever havingpivotal connection with said slide, a cam wheel having alternaterecesses and projections, a spring-acting lever having a roller adaptedfor alternate engagement with said recesses and projections, and a linkconnection between said lever and said bell crank lever.

In testimony whereof I afl ix my signature, in presence of witnesses. I

' GEORGE A. PARKER. Witnesses:

OsoAR CALKINS, GEORGE W. 'FOLSOM, Jr., JOHN H. TURNER.

Copies ,of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

